Justice A. R. Mohammed
of the Federal High Court Abuja on Tuesday, May 24, 2016 granted bail in the
sum of N10 million (Ten million naira) to one Victor Ochala who is standing trial
on a 27-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence and forgery to
the tune of over N300million (three hundred million naira) brought against him
by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
The judge also ordered
the accused to provide two sureties in like sum. One of the sureties must have
a landed property worth N10million naira in Abuja or its environs, while second
must be a civil servant not below rank of GL 08. The sureties shall submit
their recent passport photographs to the court. The defendant is to submit his
international passport to the court and shall not travel until the
determination of the case.
Ochola, allegedly, in
connivance with one Dayo Jimo (now at large) fraudulently defrauded one
Mohammed Jubril, under the pretext of purchasing some plots of land for the
victim.
One of the counts reads:
“That you Victor Ochola,
Dayo Jimoh (now at large) and others still at large sometime in January, 2014
in Abuja within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did conspire among
themselves to commit an unlawful act to wit: obtaining money by false pretence
and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 8(a) and punishable under
Section 1(3) of Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.”
He was admitted to bail
after two failed attempts by his lawyer, P. O. Okolo, SAN, to secure his bail.
Ochala was to be
arraigned on June 22, 2015, but had remained elusive.
After several
adjournments, the court, through a warrant ordered his arrest; an action that
led to his eventual arraignment on February 10, 2016. He has since been
remanded Medium Security Prisons on the orders of the court while his trial
continued.
Moving his bail
application, Okolo pleaded that, "the defendant needs access to his lawyers for
the preparation of his defence". He also urged with the court to admit the
defendant to bail to enable him attend to his “worsening health conditions”.
Victor Ukagwu, counsel
to EFCC, opposed the application on the grounds that, the facts deposed to in
his affidavit had already been canvassed in the previous applications which
fell flat. He went on to add that, “the defendant is in the habit of forging
documents and the prosecution is investigating the letters attached to the
counter affidavit.”
He, therefore, urged the
court to refuse his application.
However, Justice
Mohammed admitted the defendant to bail and adjourned to June 22, 2016 for
continuation of trial.
Wilson Uwujaren
Head,
Media & Pub;licity
25th
May, 2016
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